London I love you, but you’re bringing me down

Tom joined the BBC as a general news reporter in 1990, interviewing Mikhail Gorbachev on a train to Cornwall for Radio 1 and covering the conflict in Rwanda before joining the Today programme. After a brief stint at Newsnight, Tom returned to Today to focus on science and the environment. He covers an eclectic mix of developments in physics and astronomy, medicine, genetics, wildlife and climate change - from super massive black holes to preserving adder habitats. Born in 1964, Tom graduated from Sussex University in 1986. He lives in north London with his partner and three children.

What is it about living in cities that put people at risk of developing mental health conditions? And why are rates of severe mental illness up to 8 times higher in some urban regions? Dr James Kirkbride and his team at PsyLife Research Group at University College London are investigating the the social and economic factors that might be at play. James will give an overview of current evidence. And he’ll talk about how our social, built and physical environments can affect the risk of psychosis, and why migrants and their descendants show elevated rates of psychotic disorder.

People who live in cities are more likely to experience mental health problems such as stress, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia - so what is it about cities that causes this increased risk, and what can urban planners and designers do about it? Dr Layla McCay from the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health reveals four key ways in which the built environment can help improve public mental health.

Mark Brown is a mental health writer, activist and researcher. He led the Day in the Life project supported by Public Health England - a year-long study collecting the everyday experiences of people who experience mental health difficulties in England. Drawing on Day in the Life findings, he’ll explore what the lived experience of mental health issues is like for people in cities, the role of technology and social isolation, and whether the idea of a ‘good life’ exists - or is even relevant anyway.